The Takeaway: Iran’s exiled Kurdish opposition wants Biden's attention

Men hold up signs depicting the image of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died while in the custody of Iranian authorities, during a demonstration denouncing her death by Iraqi and Iranian Kurds outside the UN offices in Arbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on Sept. 24, 2022. -

 SAFIN HAMED/AFP via Getty Images

Elizabeth Hagedorn
@ElizHagedorn

November 2, 2022

As protests sparked by the death of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini rage in Iran, members of the country’s exiled Kurdish political opposition say they’re not getting a fair hearing in Washington. Khalid Azizi, spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI), is calling on the US government to resume contact with his and other Iranian political parties.

“Unfortunately, we don't have any contact with them,” Azizi told Al-Monitor at a recent event hosted by the Washington Kurdish Institute. “They should have some level of relationship with the Iranian political parties.”

KDPI is one of several Iranian opposition groups based in northern Iraq that is seeking greater autonomy for Iran’s Kurds, who comprise an estimated 10% of the Iranian population. Tehran has accused KDPI and other armed “separatist” groups of organizing the protests, now in their seventh week.

In apparent retaliation, KDPI’s headquarters in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq came under attack in late September from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Iranian missile and drone strikes killed eight people, including an American citizen who was a retired peshmerga fighter.

Officials with KDPI and its historic rival Komala say they’re unable to secure meetings with Biden administration officials, despite maintaining offices in Washington and having met with past US administrations. Those engagements ended after then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ordered American diplomats in January 2020 to avoid meeting with Iranian opposition groups he accused of trying to gain the appearance of tacit support in Washington.

The Iranian Kurdish opposition has historically been weaker than similar movements in Syria, Iraq and Turkey, which have better funding and organization.

“Even in the diaspora, where you have the opportunity to organize and mobilize, they were not able to muster transnational support the way that others did,” said Denise Natali, author of “The Kurds and the State” and director of the National Defense University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies.

Asked whether the State Department has met with the exiled Kurdish opposition parties amid the protests, a department spokesperson told Al-Monitor, “we’re not going to detail or comment on any engagement with any outside groups ... However, it is clear that these popular protests have nothing to do with outside groups.”

The administration has gone out of its way to avoid characterizing the protesters’ demands, despite many openly calling for the Iranian government’s toppling. It’s even less likely the administration would show any hint of support for political actors espousing regime change or greater autonomy for Iran’s minorities, observers say.

But Azizi maintains that talking to his and other Kurdish groups would offer the United States a different point of view.

“The United States must have some sort of relationship with the Iranian people,” Azizi said. “And it should be done through these political parties.”

Syria backs ally Iran amid 'attack': foreign minister

Iran has accused the West of stirring unrest in the country since Mahsa Amini's death - 

ATTA KENARE
Agence France-Presse
November 2, 2022 — Tehran (AFP)

Syria's top diplomat on Wednesday reaffirmed his country's support for Iran as he visited the Islamic republic, which has been rocked by weeks of protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.

The 22-year-old died in custody on September 16, three days after her arrest in Tehran for an alleged breach of Iran's strict dress rules for women.

Dozens of people, mainly demonstrators but also members of the security forces, have been killed in nationwide protests. Hundreds more, including women, have been arrested.

"We reaffirm Syria's support for the brotherly and friendly people of Iran," Foreign Minister Faisal al-Meqdad said.

Damascus welcomes "the failure of those who have supported the attack against this country financially, in the media, politically and internationally," he told a press conference, standing alongside his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Iranian authorities have accused the West of stirring unrest in the country.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday accused the United States of seeking to manipulate the people by supporting the demonstrations.

Syria has been Iran's main regional ally.

Tehran has provided military support for the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in its decade-long war against rebel forces and jihadists.

Freedom Convoy lawyer says police gave protesters a 'steady stream' of information

OTTAWA — A lawyer representing some organizers of the "Freedom Convoy" says police were regularly leaking operational plans and other information to protesters in Ottawa during last winter's demonstrations. 

Keith Wilson testified Wednesday morning at the public inquiry investigating the federal government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act in February in an effort to end weeks of protests in the capital.

Wilson said members of the Ottawa police, Ontario Provincial Police and RCMP all leaked information to protesters.

"At all times, there was a high degree of situational awareness of what the operational plans were for the police," Wilson told reporters after his testimony.

He described a "steady stream of information and leaks coming from all of the different police forces and security agencies from on-duty officers."

The OPP and RCMP have not responded to requests for comment on Wilson's allegations.

Freedom Convoy lawyer Keith Wilson 

Related video: Former Ottawa police chief cross-examined for 2nd day in Emergencies Act inquiry
Duration 6:45
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In a statement, the Ottawa Police Service said it is "not commenting on convoy-related matters at this time, so as to respect the public inquiry underway."

The Ottawa police had previously confirmed that they moved to disciplinary action against one officer for contributing to the Freedom Convoy with a financial donation.

And the inquiry also previously heard that an Ottawa police constable who was suspended for not being vaccinated kept an encrypted police radio and allegedly shared information with protesters.

Ottawa police have not confirmed any disciplinary action against that officer.

Throughout the protests, police faced criticism for standing by as protesters lit fires, set off fireworks and stockpiled food and fuel on downtown streets.

Wilson was brought in to give legal advice to the demonstrators in early February.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2022.

David Fraser, The Canadian Press

Legault says Quebec can't take in more immigrants, after feds set 500K target by 2025

MONTREAL — Quebec Premier François Legault is maintaining that the province cannot accept more than 50,000 immigrants a year despite Ottawa's plans to significantly raise the country's immigration levels.


Legault says Quebec can't take in more immigrants, after feds set 500K target by 2025© Provided by The Canadian Press

The federal government, Legault told reporters Wednesday, needs to understand that Quebec is facing a "special challenge" to preserve the French language.

His comments were in reaction to Ottawa's announcement on Tuesday that it intends to welcome about 500,000 annual newcomers to Canada by 2025. By comparison, the federal Immigration Department said 405,000 permanent residents were admitted last year.

"Already at 400,000 there was a problem, so at 500,000 it's even more so," Legault said. “Already at 50,000 it is difficult to stop the decline of French."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that immigration done correctly can help address labour shortages in Quebec and that Ottawa would be there to help the province create more economic growth.

"Quebec has long had the ability to increase its immigration thresholds," Trudeau told reporters. "I know that every time I speak to business owners in Montreal or in the regions, they emphasize how important it is to counter the worker shortage."

Quebec's immigration agreement with Ottawa permits the province to welcome a percentage of newcomers equal to its demographic weight in the country — 23 per cent — which would be about 115,000 people should Canada accept 500,000 immigrants a year.

The highest number of annual immigrants the province can properly integrate is 50,000, Legault said, adding that even the most ambitious plan presented by a political party during the recent provincial election set a maximum target of 80,000 newcomers.

Later on Wednesday, Quebec Immigration Minister Christine Fréchette said the province's 50,000 number was firm.

"That will not change, no matter how many immigrants arrive elsewhere in Canada," she told reporters.

Fréchette said she spoke with federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser last week and reiterated the province's position on wanting more powers from Ottawa over immigration; she said those discussions will continue.

"We will use all the levers at our disposal to attain the maximum percentage of immigrants who are francophone; this is essential for the sustainability of French," Fréchette said. The province's immigration target is based on its ability to teach newcomers French, Fréchette said, adding that welcoming more people would aggravate the housing shortage.

Asked whether Quebec risked losing influence should its demographic weight decline, Fréchette said the province is relying on Trudeau's commitment to maintain Quebec's political clout within Canada.

On Tuesday, a major employers group in Quebec called on Legault to reconsider his immigration targets. The Conseil du patronat du Québec also asked Ottawa to cut immigrant application processing times and to attain federal targets of having 4.4 per cent of immigrants to Canada — outside Quebec — being francophone.

"While all the other provinces will benefit from (a rise in immigration), Quebec must give more consideration to this avenue to address the labour shortage and slow the decline in our demographic weight in Canada," Denis Hamel, vice-president of the Conseil du patronat, said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2022.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press

Musk's Twitter takeover creates uncertainty for professionals using platform for good

CANADIANS, EH
TORONTO — Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover has professionals considering fleeing the social media network, but some say abandoning the platform could give those who spread misinformation exactly want they want from credible voices: silence.

"I've already had many colleagues tell me that they're wrestling with, 'How do I respond to this takeover?'" said Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in health law and policy at the University of Alberta, of his fellow public health professionals.

"I think the answer, at least for the foreseeable future, is don't get off it because we need to have those science-informed voices on the platform and if we leave, it just becomes this massive echo chamber for bunk and that can be incredibly harmful."

Caulfield, who has gained more than 83,000 followers on Twitter for calling out pseudo-science from people including actress Gwenyth Paltrow, is one of many professionals facing what he called "a weird, weird, very weird moment" after Musk — the Tesla and SpaceX leader known for brash business moves — purchased the platform last week.

Journalists, public health officials, academics and politicians have long relied on the platform to build networks, connect with the public and disseminate trustworthy information. Governments, police forces, school boards and even transit authorities lean on Twitter too to keep the public safe and informed.

"I think there are certain professions where it has basically been essential to be on Twitter," said Heidi Tworek, Canada Research Chair and associate professor at the University of British Columbia.

Caulfield agreed.

"I feel like it's part of my academic career to be following social media,” he said.

"Our mandate is to fight misinformation, so we can't really abandon these platforms."

But in the days since Musk's purchase, some like Caulfield have seen the amount of hate and misinformation on Twitter increase and Tworek said Musk's reputation for quick, controversial moves and reneging on plans is generating "a lot of trepidation and uncertainty."

"For many people there is a contemplation of at what point does this become a professional risk rather than a professional benefit?" she said.

Musk has mused about defeating spam bots and making algorithms open source to increase trust, but has also talked about championing free speech. Many believe he could allow controversial figures back onto Twitter and reduce moderation efforts.

In anticipation, some have fled the platform or started promoting accounts on other platforms.

After Musk took over Twitter, Peterborough, Ont.'s medical officer of health tweeted a link to his Instagram account "just in case I get kicked off Twitter for continuing to not let good times roll for merchants of pandemic misinformation, and sharing evidence-based public health guidance."

Dr. Thomas Piggott declined to comment on his tweet.

Some professionals are even more careful of the language they use on Twitter because they don't want to trigger bots or hate.

"And that's really unfortunate because those spreading the hate and those spreading the misinformation, they don't pull their punches and they don't hesitate," said Caulfield.

"So when you (watch your words out of fear), that's a win for the hate mongers."

Some suggest hateful voices could be amplified even more after Musk revealed he plans to remove Twitter's verification check marks for users who don't pay for Twitter Blue, the company's subscription offering. Twitter currently charges $6.49 a month for Blue but verification is free and provided to journalists, celebrities and other public figures who meet the company's criteria.

"Twitter's current lords and peasants system for who has and doesn't have a blue check mark is bulls---," Musk tweeted Tuesday.

"Power to the people! Blue for $8/month."

Depending on how Musk adjusts verification and how many verified users are willing to pay to keep their check mark, Tworek worries people could use the new policies to sow discord or spread misinformation.

"Would it be that somebody could pay to impersonate someone?" she said. "How would one prevent scammers, who are the type of people who would actually be willing to pay for this?"

The verification plan could force major organizations like governments to decide whether to pay for Twitter Blue or cover the fee for staff to avoid being seen as illegitimate.

The cost of not doing so could be significant because your brand could be tarnished by others who pretending to be you on verified accounts, said Michael Geist, the Canada Research Chair in internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa.

Entering a caucus meeting Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government will "continue to evaluate" how it communicates with Canadians in light of Musk's takeover.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, who is a frequent user of social media, added it's too early to decide on an approach.

"Frankly, it’s not something that I’ve thought about a whole lot," he said.

"I think we’ll see what changes come and what this new administration means for the social media."

— with files from Mia Rabson in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2022.

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press

The MP to mayor pipeline: Why so many provincial and federal politicians are heading to city hall

Emma Godmere - Yesterday 

Poke your head into any city hall across the country, and there's a chance you'll find a former MP or member of the provincial legislature sitting in the mayor's chair.

Recent municipal elections in B.C., Ontario and Manitoba saw scores of seasoned politicians making the jump — or the return — to the local level.

Andrea Horwath is among them. The former Ontario NDP leader is the newly elected mayor of Hamilton, Ont.

"Certainly I had accomplishments that really did affect all of Ontario, as an opposition leader," she told CBC Radio's The House. "But the municipal order of government really is the closest to the people."

Horwath is one of at least a dozen politicians in Ontario alone who previously held provincial or federal seats and last week won their race to become mayor.

But why are so many political veterans taking their talents to the local level?

"I understand that folks may have some cynicism," Horwath said.

"It's not that you're in it for any kind of personal aggrandizement or personal agenda. You're in it to serve your community."

'People have a real stake in you:' former Calgary mayor

According to one of Canada's best-known former mayors, there's simply no better gig around.

"It is the only political job in Canada — the only executive level political job in Canada — where you are actually elected by everyone you serve," said Naheed Nenshi, who served as mayor of Calgary for just over a decade.

"The prime minister is not directly elected, premiers are not directly elected, but the mayor is," he explained. "Because of that, people have a real stake in you."

Even if voters recognize that stake, some might expect mayors to become MPs — and not the other way around.

"I think we're actually very wrong to see politics as this kind of progression, of city council being the minor leagues and then provincial and federal politics somehow being the major leagues," said Shannon Sampert, a political analyst and columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press.

Sampert — who just helped guide new Winnipeg mayor Scott Gillingham's campaign to victory — is also quick to push back on the idea that politicians hopping from campaign to campaign could be looked down upon.

"I think that we need to think that being a career politician isn't necessarily bad," she said. "I think you have a best-before date … constituents will let you know when they're sick of you as well."

MPs can face long periods away from home, election uncertainty

Former Conservative MP Alex Nuttall, just elected mayor of Barrie, Ont., is one of several federal representatives who chose to leave Ottawa and switch to municipal politics. Previously a Barrie city councillor, he was first elected MP in 2015 but declined to run again in 2019, opting to spend more time with his family.

"When I made that decision, it was one that I didn't take lightly," he told The House.

Nuttall's father recently dug up an old hockey card from when the mayor-elect was 13 years old.

"And on the back of my hockey card, my future ambitions were to become a member of Parliament."

Nuttall admits that dream job came with plenty of challenges.

"When you're elected as a member of Parliament, and really any position — it's not a job, it's a lifestyle, right? It's most severe on the federal level," Nuttall explained.

"I was lucky. I was only a five-hour trip to Ottawa from Barrie. But there were lots of folks who, it's 12 hours for them to get from their home to Parliament Hill. And you know, that has a humongous effect on family life."


Ken Boshcoff, right, is congratulated by a supporter after winning the mayoral race in Thunder Bay, Ont., earlier this month.© Marc Doucette/CBC

Ken Boshcoff remembers those personal impacts well. The newly elected mayor of Thunder Bay, Ont., held the job before, back in the 1990s, before becoming a Liberal MP under the minority governments of Paul Martin and Stephen Harper.

"Every day was the possibility of an election," Boshcoff told The House.

"You know exactly, right now, when the next municipal elections are — in four years. So it truly makes a difference in terms of stability, and your ability to plan and even act as a human. Whereas in federal Parliament, you certainly wouldn't be buying a car or a house if you were with the government at that time. It was just not doable."

Taking the parties out of politics

While remaining an MP comes with obstacles, leaving Parliament Hill can also be difficult for some.

"In our research, we found challenges with transitioning to a non-political career," said Sabreena Delhon of the Samara Centre for Democracy.

The non-partisan group has spent years holding exit interviews with MPs to get a sense of why many choose to move on from federal politics.

"Once you have been a politician, it's quite difficult for your community to see you as anything else," Delhon explained."So a cynical view might be that there's this insatiable appetite, a narcissism related to being elected. But it might also be that political life has closed other professional doors for you."

Nuttall, the mayor of Barrie, said he left a successful business career to return to municipal politics.

"I've been very blessed in my private sector career," he said. "And I'm going back to public service, taking a pay cut, and wanting to contribute."

The former Conservative MP said it can be easier to make that contribution without the partisanship Parliament often brings.

"You take the political parties out of it, and the reality is that there's a lot more opportunity for consistency, for continuity on the items that are being worked on."

Horwath agrees.

"I have to admit that when I left municipal politics to become an MPP, one of the things I missed the most was that idea that we're all in it together and we're all working from the same space, or the same imperative," she said.

Whether they make the jump for personal reasons or political reasons, former Calgary mayor Nenshi will tell any veteran-politician-turned-mayor that they made the right choice.

"I always joke — and I've been doing it for years — that if the federal government disappeared while we were talking, it would be a week or two before anyone noticed … but if your municipal government were to disappear, you'd have no roads, no parks, no transit, no emergency response," he said.

"The issues that we are working on at the municipal level are the cool ones, the interesting ones. And I think more and more politicians are figuring out — that's really where it's at."

MURDERER IN THE GALLERY

Murray Mandryk: Constitutional battle can't be another Sask. punchline

SEPERATIST MIMICS ALBERTA

Opinion by Murray Mandryk -  Leader Post

Premier Scott Moe was humbled by the handling of Colin Thatcher's invite but he should be equally humbled by the Saskatchewan First Legislation he is presenting.

Our premier, who has made a career out of refusing to apologize for the way Saskatchewan is, offered an “unequivocal” apology Monday for both the way this province is and for the way he has been in not leading us toward a better path.

“The message that was conveyed with last week’s attendance by (former MLA and convicted murderer) Colin Thatcher during the speech from the throne is not a message that is acceptable to Saskatchewan people,” Moe told the assembly upon entering the chamber.

“As premier and as leader of the government caucus, ultimately I am responsible. To all of those who attended the speech from the throne, to all members of this assembly and to all of the people of Saskatchewan, I offer my unequivocal apology.”

Speaking to reporters after his pre-question-period apology, a solemn Moe seemed chastened by the overwhelming provincial, national and even international reaction of the past five days.

It came five days too late, but hopefully lessons were learned about the need to set aside politics and hubris.

At at time when Saskatchewan has the dubious distinction of the worst domestic violence in the country, the only thing stupider than inviting Thatcher was Moe and Corrections and Policing Minister Christine Tell either downplaying or justifying it.

Moreover, those five days between Thatcher sitting in the assembly and Moe apologizing were a lot harder on us than they were on his government.

Saskatchewan has become a province sick and tired of being the butt of such jokes — little more than a national punchline. We need to stop these embarrassments, if for no other reasons than they detract form serious issues in need of addressing.

On Tuesday, Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre unveiled her government’s response to one such serious issue. It came in the introduction of the Saskatchewan First Act.

Eyre said in a press conference that Bill 88 “defines, addresses and quantifies economic harm” caused by a federal government that has “unilaterally intruded into core areas” like the province’s development of natural resources.

Related video: Saskatchewan premier announces the Saskatchewan First Act

Duration 0:13

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Stressing that the constitutional amending legislation is neither “merely symbolic” nor “unpatriotic,” Eyre told reporters “economic success and strength just doesn’t happen.”

“Is it not patriotic to ask for a fair deal?” Eyre asked, adding that provincial rights cannot be what is given, but what provinces “choose to dare to assert.”

It is a bold and serious assertion at a time when neither this government nor this entire province is seen as either bold or serious.

The bill emerges from the “ Drawing the Line” white paper that also drew national attention for the wrong reasons, described as badly written and researched.

Certainly, one immediate criticism of the bill will be what Eyre described on Tuesday as the government’s “pro-business, pro-economic approach” that didn’t include the slightest mention of science.

That may make Bill 88 an even tougher sell, coming at the tail end of a year in which Moe and the Sask. Party abandoned the science we should still be following in the COVID-19 figh t and buckled to the pressure of anti-vaxxers who very much struggle with reality.

Add to this that the government wholeheartedly supported the “Freedom Convoy” — now paraded through the courts and a public hearing over the use of the Emergency Act — a plethora of summer political skirmishes with the feds over everything from water testing to hamburger labelling, and one can see why many across this country will struggle to take this seriously.

Eyre said they are not fighting with Ottawa for kicks. Let us hope so.

Let us hope Eyre, Moe et al have done their homework.

A long-held frustration in Saskatchewan is that it’s seldom in the national spotlight for anything positive. Whether it’s the weather, tragic accidents, shootings or our silly politics, we have developed a reputation as a place where there isn’t much that’s positive or taken seriously.

We need to change the narrative.

We need our government to act in a matter that gives the rest of the country reason to take us seriously.

Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

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HIM AND MIKE ROWE AGREE

King Charles calls it a 'great tragedy' vocational skills aren't taught anymore

National Post Wire Services - Wednesday

King Charles says it’s a “great tragedy” that there is a “lack of” vocational studies at schools these days.


King Charles, shown on Oct. 3, will appear on the BBC TV program

 The Repair Shop tonight. Andrew Milligan/AFP© Provided by National Post

The 73-year-old British monarch paid a visit to TV’s The Repair Shop in a special episode of the BBC One show titled The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit, and he shared his dismay with the program’s presenter, Jay Blades, that technical skills are no longer taught like in his day.

“I still think the great tragedy is the lack of vocational education in schools, actually not everybody is designed for the academic,” he said.

“I know from the Prince’s Trust, I have seen the difference we can make to people who have technical skills which we need all the time, I have the greatest admiration for people.”

The King would like to see more people taking up apprenticeships. “I think that’s been the biggest problem, sometimes that is forgotten. Apprenticeships are vital, but they just abandoned apprenticeships for some reason. It gives people intense satisfaction and reward.”

Related video: King Charles admits it's a great tragedy vocational skills aren't taught at schools anymore  Duration 1:42  View on Watch

Charles was there to have a Victorian bracket clock and a piece of Wemyss Ware pottery made for Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee repaired.

At one point, the King asked the crew: “Have you sorted this? The suspense is killing me!”

He also spoke passionately about his fondness for grandfather clocks and finding the ticking noise they make “reassuring.”

“To me, I just love the sound, the tick-tock but also if they chime, that’s why I love grandfather clocks,” said Charles.

“I find it rather reassuring in a funny way, and they become really special parts of the house … the beating heart of it. So that’s why they matter to me.

“I’m afraid it is something I learnt from my grandmother, she had great fun putting a few together and trying to get them to chime at the same time in the dining room, which made it very enjoyable because everybody had to stop talking.”

The royal special airs on BBC One at 8 p.m. tonight.

IMPERIALIST INTERVENTION
Trudeau says Canadians 'have to intervene' somehow in Haiti, convenes incident group


OTTAWA — Haiti's ambassador to Canada faced stiff questioning Wednesday over his country's controversial request for a foreign military intervention, as the Liberals argue Ottawa must respond to a cascade of humanitarian crises.


Trudeau says Canadians 'have to intervene' somehow in Haiti, convenes incident group© Provided by The Canadian Press

"The violence orchestrated by armed gangs is blocking the country and plunging millions of Haitians into an acute humanitarian crisis," ambassador Wien-Weibert Arthus told the House foreign-affairs committee in French.

"It is a desperate situation for which there must be a solution."

Rampaging gangs have cut off access to Haiti's primary fuel terminal, leading to power outages and unclean water that has worsened a cholera outbreak.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has called for a foreign military intervention to restore order.

Henry's government has been in charge since the assassination of former president Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, and has argued that the country cannot have an election during instability from COVID-19 outbreaks and now widespread organized crime.

Arthus noted children have been out of school since June, and urged Canada to help not only stabilize the country but provide aid for infrastructure, to stop a cycle of poverty.

He said his country has barely recovered from the 2010 earthquake, but putting Haitians to work could avoid future instability.

Liberal MP Emmanuel Dubourg challenged Arthus on rampant government corruption in Haiti, and asked whether the request for foreign intervention amounts to an admission of failure.

"Umm, next question," Arthus responded in French.

"In the soul of any Haitian, a foreign force is never welcome in the country," he said at another point in his testimony.

Dubourg, a Montreal MP who immigrated from Haiti, also asked whether Canada needs to hold accountable elements of Haiti's current government that are contributing to the corruption and impunity for violence.

"Each person who finances gangs must be sanctioned," Arthus said in French, noting he has lost some of his own relatives to violence.

Dubourg also argued there is "no credible plan" for getting Haiti out of its crises, and Arthus acknowledged a lack of political consensus in Haiti but said there is widespread support for Canada to help.

"I'm not a dreamer but I keep hope that we will end up finding an agreement between Haitians," he said in French.

Bloc Québécois MP Stéphane Bergeron said in French that many in the Haitian diaspora have concerns about Canada working with "a government whose legitimacy is highly questioned" and barely controls its own territory.

Arthus responded that Henry has addressed international bodies and leaders such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Earlier Wednesday, Trudeau told reporters he's aware that many Haitians are uncomfortable with a foreign military intervention.

"At the same time, we look at the crisis, rapes, the violence, the poverty and the cholera and health crisis. And then we say to ourselves, we have to intervene in one way or another," he told reporters in French.

Trudeau also convened a meeting Wednesday of cabinet ministers known as the Incident Response Group, which meets only when something has "major implications for Canada," to discuss Haiti.

The group had a similar meeting two weeks ago. Since then, Canada dispatched a team to assess the beleaguered Caribbean nation, and it has returned and briefed senior officials in Ottawa.

On Monday, Canada's ambassador to Haiti said Canada will be expected to take a leading role in assisting the country, as it's among the most respected nations in Port-au-Prince.

Canada and the U.S. have already sent armoured vehicles to Haiti. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited Ottawa and Montreal, and hinted that Canada could play a key role in a military intervention.

The United Nations is currently contemplating a motion that would authorize a mission, which has been endorsed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

U.S. officials say the UN resolution is expected to pass by early November, and have mentioned Canada as a candidate to lead such a mission.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2022.

— With files from Emilie Bergeron

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press

Italy's right-wing government slammed for anti-rave decree

MILAN (AP) — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday defended her government against criticism that a decree banning rave parties could be used to clamp down on sit-ins and other forms of protest while a march by thousands of fascist sympathizers to the crypt of the country's slain fascist dictator went unchallenged.



The decree on illegal raves was among the first actions of Meloni’s far-right-led government. Both the political opposition and judicial magistrates voiced alarm that the tough law-and-order stance signaled the government's possible intolerance of disobedience.

Critics noted that no action was taken against the weekend march by several thousand admirers of the late Italian dictator Benito Mussolini wearing fascist symbols and singing colonial-era hymns in Predappio, Mussolini's birth and burial place, while the government in Rome took extraordinary action to break up a rave party in the northern city of Modena.

“We will never deny anyone the right to express dissent,''

Meloni said in a Facebook post, accusing those suggesting that might be the case of ”instrumentalization."

She said the decree was necessary “after years in which the government has bowed its head in the face of illegality." When property is occupied without authorization and drug use and sales are prevalent, “it is right to prosecute illegal raves," Meloni said.

She did not address the criticism over the handling of the rave versus the march by fascist sympathizers.

Earlier, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that he deplored “in the most absolute way” the march held Sunday in Predappio marking the 100th anniversary of the March on Rome that ushered in two decades of fascist rule. Still, he dismissed the event as a “clownish” stunt.

He said similar gatherings had happened throughout the years “without trouble and under control of police,” and that any acts that violated Italian laws criminalizing apology of fascism would be turned over to magistrates.

Related video: Protesters in Rome call for the renewal of an agreement between Libya & Italy to be revoked

“We live in a democratic country with solid institutions and a constitution in which all political parties are recognized. We have the antibodies to defeat whoever wants to go in another direction,’’ Piantedosi said.

Meloni’s government is the first led by a party with neo-fascist roots since Mussolini’s fascist dictatorship was ousted during World War II, ending a disastrous alliance with Hitler's Germany.

Meloni has tried to chart a moderate course, seeking to distance her Brothers of Italy party from its neo-fascist origins and denouncing Mussolini's racial laws that sent thousands of Italian Jews to Nazi death camps. But many remain concerned about the more militant pasts of the premier and some of the ministers serving in her government.

Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Piantedosi denied that the decree targeting illegal raves would be used in other contexts, calling such suggestions “offensive.”

The decree, which still must be debated and approved by parliament to become law, would make the organizers of unauthorized gatherings of more than 50 people in public or private settings eligible for prosecution and prison terms of up to six years.

According to legal experts, the decree cites the presence of 50 people for creating a “gathering,” a term which could be applied to political, union or even sporting events. An expert in criminal law at the University of Bologna, Vittorio Manes, told Italian newspaper Quotidiano Nazionale the measure was “extremely generic and therefore slippery,″

Italy's Constitution allows limits on the right to assembly “only for proven reasons of public safety and security,” and does not discuss threats to order or public health — the rationales cited in the decree, Giovanni Maria Flick, a former president of Italy's constitutional court, told daily newspaper La Repubblica.

Flick said the government's drawing up a new law looked especially heavy-handed when existing statutes could be applied to break up rave parties.

Concerns were accentuated by a police action last week to break up a student protest against a meeting at a Rome university that included a lawmaker from Meloni’s party. Video showed riot police blocking students who had protested behind a banner reading: “Fascists out.”

Asked whether force was necessary in that case, Piantedosi told Corriere that he could not second-guess “the professionality and the sensitivity of those in the field who have to make decisions in a few seconds.”

The decree was approved Monday as some 2,000 young people from throughout Europe gathered in the northern Italian city of Modena for a rave in an abandoned warehouse. Authorities said the warehouse was dangerous and risked collapsing from loud music vibrations. They also cited the impact on traffic.

Event participants abandoned the site when instructed.

Colleen Barry, The Associated Press